Internal-combustion engine.



F. H. KRIENITZ.

iNTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE,

APPLICATION FILED DEC. $8, 1915. Pateut Apr. 24, 1917.

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F. H. KRIENITZ.

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

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FRANK HENRY KRIENITZ, or MCFARLAND, KANsA-sQ INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE.

Application led December 18, 1915.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK II. KnrnNrrz, a citizen of theUnited States,residing at McFarlancL'in the county of Vabaunsee and State of Kansas,have invented new'. and useful Impro-vements in Internal-CombustionEngines, of which the following is ay specification.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines, the object inview being to provide a compact powerful multiple cylinder engine inwhich the cylinders reciprocate as a runt and the pistons arestationary, the

arrangement being such that all of the cylinders are coupled by asingleconnecting rod to a crank shaft having a single crank, therebymaterially reducing the number of parts, rendering al minimum number ofbearings necessary and also producing a construction by means of whichthe impulse or working stroke in one cylinder is cushioned by thecompression stroke in an opposing cylinder, resulting in a materialreduction in vibration and producing an engine of smooth and powerfulaction.

IVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts7 as hereindescribed, illustrated and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view partly in sectionof an engine embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section through the pistons andcylinders, showing the valve arrangement.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the engine.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section through one of the stationarypistons.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the cylinders which are cast en bloc.

Fig. 6 isa `side elevation of the same.

Fig. 7 is a cross section through the cylinders of the engine showingthe supporting means therefor. Y

Fig. 8 is an lend view ofone pair of pistons showing the arrangement ofthe valves and ports therein.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating the valves, andvalve guides.

Fig. 10 is a detail plan view of one of the valves and the actuatingpush rod thereof.

Fig. 11 is a face view of one of the cam disks.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24., 1917.

Serial No. 67,620.

Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section through the piston and cylindersshowing the cooling means.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates the crank shaft of the engine,the same being mounted within a housing 2 containing bearings 3 for theshaft 1. 'Ihe crank shaft is provided at one end lthereof with a gearwheel 4 for Aoperating the magneto and the cam shaft, the latter beingindicated at 5. The housing also includes a crank case 6 in whichoperates the crank 7, there being a single crank used in connection withfour cylinders and four pistons, 8 designating the single connectingrodattached to the crank 7 by the connecting rod bearing 9.

Extending outwardly from the crank case 6 is a frame comprising thelongitudinal side members 10 substantially parallel to each other andthe end members 11 which rigidly connect the sidey members 10. In theengine as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, four pistons A, B, Cand D arevemployed, each piston being provided j at its outer end withan attaching flange 12 by means of which it is bolted or otherwisesecurely fastened to one of the end frame members 11. The inner end ofeach piston is closed by a head 13.

Coperating with the pistons is a corresponding number of cylinders a,Z9, c and d, all of saidl cylinders being cast en bloc and having theirouter ends open to embrace the pistons while the inner ends thereof areclosed by means of a cylinder head 14; common to all of the cylinders.

In the preferred embodiment of this invention all of the cylinders andpistons are horizontally disposed and they all lie in a commonhorizontal plane. Extending upwardly from the block of cylinders at thecenter thereof is a post 15 carrying at its upper end a horizontallyextending wrist pin 16 to which the adjacent end of the connecting rod 8is coupled.l The wrist pin 16 is braced by means of truss .rods 17 whichextend from the -wrist pin in opposite directions and are lixedlysecured to the cylinders adjacent to the ends thereof as shown at 18.The connecting rod 8 is thus located at a suiiicient elevation above thecylinders to prevent any interference on the part of said piston rod asthe crank shaft end thereof follows the sweep of the crank 7.v

Roller tracks 19 extend longitudinally of the outer walls of thecylinders and bear against rollers 2O carried by forksl 21 on the endsof supporting rods 22 which are fastened to the frame at 23. Thearrangement just referred to forms a support for allof the cylinders andguides the same in the reciprocatory movements thereof.

Each piston is provided with an intake valve 24 controlling an intakeport in the head thereof and is also provided with an exhaust valve 25which controls an exhaust opening also in the head of the piston. Eachof the inlet and exhaust valves is provided with a stem 26 which extendsfrom the inner to the outer end of the piston and beyond the end framemember 11 where it is operated by means of a push rod 27 provided with aroller 28 which is acted upon by one of a pair of cam disks 29, saiddisks being arranged at the opposite ends of the frame containing thecylinders and pistons. Each of the disks 29 comprises an outer track 30and an inner track 31 one of which is provided with a raised cam face 31which operates the intake valves at that end of the frame, the othertrack being provided with a raised face 32 which serves to actuate theexhaust valves at that end. Thus a single disk 29, in each rotationthereof, operates two intake valves andtwo exhaust valves. The other camdisk at the opposite end performs the same operation in connection withthe valves at that end. Both of the cam disks are geared to and drivenby the crank shaft 1.

In addition to the intake and exhaust valves, there is an air intakepipe 33 which enters the open end of each piston and also an oil pipe34. As shown in Fig. 12, the air pipes 33 are connected to the branches34 of a compressed air manifold having incorporated therein an aircompressor or fan 35 driven by any suitable connection with the crankshaft, whereby air is forced under pressure into all of the pistons forthe purpose of cooling the latter. Each piston or frame piece 11 may beperforated to admit ofthe escape of the air.

The cylinders are provided adjacent to the common head 12 thereof withopenings to receive spark plugs 36 and in the recip-I rocatory movementof the block of cylinders, the plugs 36 approach within approximatelyone sixteenth of an inch of a pair of electric conductor strips 37 towhich lead the high tension wires 38 of the magneto, the latter beinggeared to the crank shaft 1 as above indicated. 39 designates a flywheel on the engine shaft.

Each of the valves and its push rod is of the ordinary puppet valveconstruction now commonly employed in internal combustion engines, thepush rod 27 being bored and threaded to receive an adjustable tappetscrew 40 which is held fixed by means of a lock nut 41. The stem 26 ofthe valve passes through one of a series of valve stem guides 42 and hasthe valve seating spring 43 which is held between the guide 42 and awasher 44 secured to the valve stem 26 by the working stroke in 'one ofthe cylinders is cushioned by the compression of the mixture in anopposing cylinder. The other cycles of operation are arranged to followeach other after the manner of the ordinary four cycle internalcombustion engine. Thus in an engine embodying four cylinders there aretwo impulses for each complete revolution of the crank shaft and theimpulses are opposed to each other so that they exert both a pulling andpushing action on the crank 7 of the crank shaft.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In an internal combustionengine, the combination ofa crank shaft having a single crank, a crankcase, a frame extending away from said crank case and comprisinglongitudinal and transverse members, horizontally opposed pistons havingclosed heads at their inner ends arranged in spaced relation to eachother, the outer ends of said pistons being ixedly secured to saidframe, a block of cylinders corresponding in number with the number ofpistons and arranged to reciprocate back and forth relatively to andupon said pistons, a wrist pin on the block of cylinders, a connectingrod extending from said wrist pin to said crank shaft, intake andexhaust valves in said piston heads, stems extending from said valves inopposite directions through the outer ends thereof, rotary cam diskscoperating with said valve stems, said disks being operatively connectedwith and driven by the cran shaft, a post extending from the block ofcylinders and supporting said wrist pin, and truss rods connecting said`wrist pin with the block of cylinders.

2. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a crank shafthaving a single crank, a crank case, a frame extending away from saidcrank case and comprising longitudinal and transverse members,horizontally opposed pistons having closed heads at their inner endsarranged in spaced relation to each other, the` outer ends of saidpistons being fixedly secured to said frame, a block of cylinderscorresponding in number with the number of pistons and arranged toreciprocate back and forth relatively to and upon said pistons, a wristpin on the block of cylinders, a connecting rod extending from saidwrist pin to said crank shaft,

an intake and an eXhaust valve in each piscam face ooperating With aplurality of eX- 10 ton head, stems extending from said valves haustvalve stems.

in opposite directions through the outer ends In testimony whereof I aXmy signature theeof, rotary cam disl eoperating with in presence of twoWitnesses.

saic valve stems7 said dis s bein operatively connected With and drivenlo? the crank FRANK HENRY KRIENITZ' shaft, each Cam disk being providedWith a Witnesses:

raised cam face eoperating with a plural- E. WV. INGERsoLL,

ity of intake valve stems, and another raised ALTON H. INGERSQLL.

`opies of this patent may be obtained for ve ents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

